When we exited the terminal to meet our guide and driver at the airport they were waiting for us . Suset was a a very sweet guide and knowledgeable of the history of Cuba. She was on time picking us up and dropping us off. Our trip to a typical Cubans families home for lunch was perfect. The family was very accommodating and we got to learn more about the typical Cuban food she served. The Bueno Vista Social Club experience was certainly a highlight of our Havana adventure. Wanted to let you know one day for lunch and dinner we went to a brand new restaurant in the Plaza De Armas, called Mirador de la Bahia. It is a rooftop restaurant with authentic Cuban prepared food. The curator / manager Albierto was super accommodating , spoke 4 languages . He told us at 9 pm the cannon is set off every night in Havana Harbor, we were there at that time and got to see it! The view is amazing in the daytime as well as at night. We loved Casa Verde in Cienfuegos. It was just the right size, the staff were very nice and helpful. Especially Cathy. The breakfast across the street at the Jagur Hotel was extremely abundant with lots of choices. We loved our tour of Trinidad . Our guide Eduard spoke really good English and he took us to parts of Trinidad that we may not have seen if it was not for him showing us ( we had sailed to Trinidad also , where we visited the main square etc) He took us to the Sugar cane Tower , also to a beautiful overlook, a valley a short distance outside of the city center. Lunch at La Curuna was very good also. Tropical Caribe Restaurant in Caslida is a hidden gem. The food and service was on point. It certainly is a challenge to find! As we went back again the next evening , explaining where it was to a taxi driver who spoke no English was certainly an adventure, but we managed to find it and the driver hung out to take us back to the marina. From Havana to Sailing around Cuba and everything in between. We did not know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised and happy. The people of Cuba were inviting , the travel was easier then imagined and locating food stuffs was a challenge but not daunting if you were willing to "adventure!" Thank you Jose and your staff! We look forward to returning to Cuba again one day. read more

Jose of AC Journeys (and Pedro, his connection in Havana) planned the perfect trip for us. The 2 of us had a bi-lingual guide (cute as a button, and well read) and a "Italian-God-Handsome-Driver " and car (1960 Buick LeSabre) for a whole week. They were both great ...like traveling with two fun friends. We spent about 3 days in Havana and then visited Cienfuegos and Trinidad for 3 days then back to Havana. Our driver, Emilio, and guide, Marinas, were along for the ride and were fantastic. We felt that it was really a bargain compared to other prices we saw online for trips to Cuba for US citizens. We had a very specific focus, to photo old pattern tile floors, and Jose made arrangements for us to have a curated tour with a architect in Havana. In the colonial towns we found many old houses with lovely floors. If the itinerary they present to you is not your 'cup of tea' just let Jose know your interests and he will plan your perfect trip.. One point, you should ask for a link to the info about the places they plan for you to stay at night, (you can google them) and if there are a lot of stairs and you don't want stairs, or any other thing about the accommodations turns you off, just say so ! I would pick AC Journeys for any future trips to Cuba. And the way Jose got us past long lines at the airport...well, that was worth tons to us. Lundy WIlder...Villa Lagoon Tile read more

Unfortunately we did not have a good experience with Jose and team. We booked a trip that coincided with Obama's visit to Cuba which was a nightmare. We paid $3.3K/person for the two of us for 6 nights which was supposed to have gotten us best available accommodation, food, etc. Because of the chaos around the president's visit, we ended up being bumped from our hotel only to stay for 3 nights with a Cuba family of four in a 2 bedroom apartment. I would never blame Jose for something like this which is out of his control. However, even though he was in Cuba for most of our visit, he did not once check in by phone to see how we were doing. He made zero attempts to rebook us. Most other travelers we met managed to get rebooked in other hotels...we got a vacation with 4 Cuban strangers in an 800 sq ft apartment. We also found out that the other 2 groups he had in Cuba at the time, also ended up staying in hotels while we had a lovely "authentic homestay" experience. Other things were lackluster as well...The restaurants Jose picked were subpar, considering how great the dining scene is in Havana. We ended up declining some of the paid dinners and just going to the places that were recommended to us by the concierge at the Parque Central like La Guardia and El Concinero. Also inexplicably Fabrica de Arte and the artist studios near the old fortress were missing from our itinerary even though we expressly wanted to see the contemporary art scene. Finally, even though we missed about half of the items on our itinerary and stayed for half the trip in a $40/night homestay instead of a $300/night hotel, Jose made no attempt to give us a discount on our trip. We sadly came away feeling stiffed of money and a good vacation. read more

AC Journeys organized our trip to Cuba. It was not only a unique experience in terms of the program José designed for our group. His level of commitment to us was unparalleled. I would totally recommend AC Journeys for traveling to Cuba. We are now using them for our trip to Vietnam. read more

We arrived back in Los Angeles on Wednesday night and we have been sorting through our pictures and experiences from Havana. We both agreed that this was indeed a trip of a lifetime. We truly enjoyed all the aspects of the trip and could not have picked a better guide in Raphael. He was very knowledgable and absolutely delightful. Plus he seemed to know everyone at key places so we could whisk through the lines. We realize that your curation of our activities was vital to the smoothness and ease of our experience, and we are so grateful for that. We were allowed to fully experience Havana's beauty, creativity, and resourcefulness. We were most impressed by the way people are so creative with what they have....especially the restauranteurs who were able to design charming intimate dining spaces using found objects, mismatched place settings, and stunning art. It is obvious that the arts are encouraged and of a very high caliber in Cuba as seen in their dance, painting and music. We loved the Tropicana show! The level of talent was unsurpassed, as were the costumes. Although we would not recommend their restaurant. We would however recommend all the other restaurants we had the pleasure of dining at....especially El Cocinero and La Guarida (and their rooftop bars were equally wonderful). We also thought Fabrica de Arte was fantastic. We enjoyed the combination of art, sculpture and music is such an original space. We would have loved to see more of the artwork and jewelry displayed there in studios or shops in the city. One of our best experiences however was visiting the art studio of Ozmeivy Ortega. A brilliant young artist (printmaker) whose personality was so charming and enthusiasm for his artwork so contagious. We were very happy to purchase one of his amazing prints. He has had the good fortune of being able to visit and show his work in the USA (including So. California). Our hotel Memories Miramar was fine, not exceptional. But considering the amount of time we spent there it was not a problem. We would however recommend to our friends with bigger budgets, staying at the Saratoga, which looked beautiful. We have already had requests from several friends to pass on our travel details, so we will happily send them your way. Jose, thank you for putting this wonderful trip together for us. It is one that we will have very fond memories of for years to come. read more

Just got back from a trip to Cuba with a group of friends. We used these guys to get us across the island and they did OK at that. Then I heard that many of my friends had hired them for small side trips and excursions and paid them five to ten times what we paid by arranging the same tours locally. We paid $60 for a classic car tour of Havana for three hours, while my friend paid AC Journeys $600! I'm seeing more and more people get ripped-off like this as more US visitors go there. You can do MUCH better than this! Most private classic cars in Havana charge $35 to $40 an hour TOPS for where ever you want to go, but if you're willing to settle for a less restored car you can EASILY negotiate directly with the car owner to get $20 an hour or less. Most these drivers speak English. In July we had an awesome car for $40 all day including a tip that wasn't even expected. read more

We had a great trip that leaves me filled with many questions and a lot to ponder. Thank you so much for the itinerary you put together!! Willy and Pablo were professional, knowledgeable and charming. Willy always considered our ideas and shared great cultural, architectural and historical information. We loved his added visit to the Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso where we wandered the gardens and shared a great organic lunch with a view of the Vinales Valley. Pablo, a dignified, cheerful man was a spot on driver. I always felt safe in his driving performance and therefore could even sleep, (very unusual for me). Having Willy and Pablo consistantly for the 10 days allowed us to have many conversations about our lives and families and to share laughter. They both will remain dear in my heart. Thank you for seeing that the casas had good Acon as it was very hot and humid, particularily for us Northerners and it allowed us good rest. The food and restaurants were delicious, which is not often a comment most from the US would say, and is attributed to your careful selection of restaurants for us! I loved the Cuban music, the Buena Vista Social Club was singularly important. The musicians at the Malibran restaurant in Trinidad was quite special during our dinner. I bought their CD! We also loved the music at night on the stairs in Trinidad! Thank you for all. I wish you and our Cuban friends wellness and joy!! Cheers! read more

We used Jose to help craft our trip to Cuba. He seriously took care of EVERYTHING. The only thing we needed to worry about was packing and getting on the flight. He will answer your every question--sometimes i asked more than once because I forgot he already answered it. He will make sure that you have the trip of a lifetime (we did) by asking what you like to do and what you don't like to do. He then creates a trip that will fit your taste. We had THE BEST TIME in Cuba and it was directly due to Jose and his detailed planning. He also met us at the airport on the way from Miami to Havana and took care of everything (getting through lines, paying the exit taxes) and literally took us as far as he was able inside the airport before saying goodbye. Do yourself a favor and let Jose take care of your next vacation--I'm thrilled we did! read more

I can't recommend Jose and his team at AC Journeys enough! They did a fabulous job. My husband works for an airline so we have been fortunate to travel all over the world, almost always planning our own trips. When it came to Cuba, we recognized fairly quickly that we would need help. Without internet access and Spanish fluency, navigating through Cuba would be tough and we wanted to spend our vacation having fun and not stressing over accommodations, transportation and meals. We told Jose we wanted an active week (hikes, biking, walking tours) for our family of 4 and he delivered. We had a dedicated driver and guide and an itinerary that met our needs but provided flexibility if needed. All accommodations, activities and meals surpassed or expectations. Our guide, Julie, was a gem. She was incredibly knowledgeable about Cuban history and answered all our questions, even the dumb ones. Her English was excellent and at the end of the trip we felt like we were leaving a friend. You will not be disappointed with the service from this company!!! read more

We had such a lovely time working with Jose, Pedro and Raf (our guide in Havana). Jose worked directly with our group of six to tailor-make a program suited to our needs (restaurant research and development). Jose met us in the airport in Miami and even ensured we were walked through the process of getting onto the flight in Miami, which was very different from normal boarding procedures. Raf was the most amazing guide and was so flexible with us during our stay in Havana. We had our own personal driver the entire time and our itinerary was so perfect, taking us to hidden gems we never would have found had we been left to our own devices in Havana. It is a wonderful city and this team will show you the most wonderful ways to experience it! Highly recommend using AC Journeys! Also, for a completely personalized itinerary with all of our activities and meals included, the pricing was a GREAT value! Trip of a lifetime - we are already talking about going back to experience the rest of the country! Also, please keep in mind when traveling to Cuba that you are not going to an island resort, you are going to a very unique cultural experience, I do not recommend traveling to Havana if you are looking for a traditional Caribbean beach getaway. read more